Arts nonprofit Young Texas Artists (YTA) pulled out all the stops for its 40th anniversary celebration on March 8 and delivered an evening brimming with electrifying performances, Texas star power, and world-class classical music talent.
Adding to the excitement was special guest Ray Benson, founder of Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel.
The celebration kicked off with YTA’s benefit gala, Bach, Beethoven & Barbecue, where guests enjoyed Texas barbecue, dancing, an exciting live auction, and a spring art show spotlighting emerging Texas visual artists. Gala proceeds support the Young Texas Artists Music Competition, where emerging classical musicians compete for $40,000 in cash prizes and performance opportunities.
After the gala, guests got to see the impact of their support firsthand during the YTA Finalists’ Concert & Awards program at Crighton Theatre, where Benson was the master of ceremonies. The 10-time Grammy Award winner had nothing but praise for the talented finalists and the artistry and skill they exhibited.
Benson topped off the night by performing at the YTA after-party, where guests toasted the competition medalists.
“The night was pure Texas,” said Susie Moore Pokorski, president/CEO of YTA. “Our entertainers, from Ray Benson to Bill Mock and The Highway 105 Band, really infused our celebration with Lone Star spirit, and our guests, decked out in their Lone Star bling, only added to it.
“It meant so much to be able to create a special night for our supporters, an integral part of YTA’s 40-year legacy, and to see them enjoying our young artists’ performances,” Pokorski added. “One thing that has held true at every single YTA finalists’ concert over the years is the stunning talent of our competitors and the sense that great things lie ahead for these artists.”
The three-day Young Texas Artists Music Competition, under the leadership of Artistic Director Emelyne Bingham, DMA, received 82 applications, and 72 musicians qualified to compete in the preliminary rounds. The artists, ages 18-30 (20-32 in the Voice Division) are Texas residents or attending a Texas music school. They competed for gold and silver medals in one of four performance divisions: Piano; Strings; Voice; and Winds, Brass, Percussion; Harp & Guitar. The competition also awarded Grand Prize and Audience Choice awards.
This year’s contestants represented 12 countries and 70 music schools.
YTA’s 2025 Grand Prize winner is violinist Fiona Shea, following up Gold Medal and Audience Choice Award wins in 2023. Shea is pursuing a doctorate at Rice University and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Colburn Conservatory of Music. She also earned YTA’s Gold Medal in the Strings division for her performance of the third movement (Finale: Allegro Vivacissimo) from Tchaikovsky’s “Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35.” Shea won a total of $10,000.
Additional Gold Medal winners were Zhengyi Huang, Piano division; saxophonist Jacob Feldman, Winds, Brass, Percussion, Harp & Guitar division; and soprano Elizabeth Marlow, Voice division. The Gold Medalists received $5,000 each.
Silver medals went to cellist William Suh, Strings division; Szuyu Su, Piano; harpist Maria de Jesus Contreras, Wind, Brass, Percussion, Harp & Guitar; and Hannah Moreno, Voice. The Silver Medalists received $3,000 each, and Su, also the Audience Choice Award winner, received an additional $3,000.
Over the decades, competition medalists have praised not only the cash prizes but also the invaluable judges’ feedback and the performance opportunities YTA provides. For several years, YTA medalists have been featured as soloists with the Texas Medical Center Orchestra in Houston. They have also performed with the Conroe Symphony Orchestra, The Woodlands Symphony Orchestra, the Allen Philharmonic Orchestra and the Laredo Philharmonic, as well as at numerous YTA kickoff parties and special events.
During its March 8 events, YTA also recognized four long-time supporters: honorary gala co-chairs Rick and Jamie Hamm of Conroe and Gil and Debra Staley of The Woodlands.
YTA’s major donors are Dr. Douglas and Carol Aycock, two anonymous donors, City of Conroe Arts & Culture, Annette and Ken Hallock, Jamie and Rick Hamm, Rea Charitable Trust, Texas Commission on the Arts and Sue and Joe Warren.
Young Texas Artists, founded in 1983, is a one-of-a-kind nonprofit presenter of music competitions and events, career development programs and cultural enrichment outreach. The nationally acclaimed Young Texas Artists Music Competition and the YTA Career Development Program provide professional guidance, mentoring and highly sought performance experience. An Official Music Competition of the State of Texas, it is one of the few competitions in the nation with four performance divisions: Voice; Piano; Strings; and Winds, Brass, Percussion, Harp & Guitar. The YTA contest is open to classical artists, ages 18-30 (20-32 for Voice), who are Texas residents or attending a Texas music school.
Over the years, Young Texas Artists has helped produce many distinguished professionals who have gone on to join orchestras, opera companies, universities and music schools around the world. Young Texas Artists alumni include a Grammy Award winner, multiple Grammy nominees and recipients of numerous prestigious music awards. https://youngtexasartists.org
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